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Read: Matthew 6:5-13
Listen:Matthew 6

And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Matthew 6:7-8

Throughout the Bible, we find powerful prayers of men and women pouring out their hearts to God. These prayers provide us with vivid examples of what it looks like to walk with God and communicate faithfully with him. Our new series, “Powerful Prayers,” will consider several of these prayers and what they teach us about how to communicate with God. This week, we consider Jesus’s foundational teaching on how to pray, found in what is now known as “The Lord’s Prayer.”

Jesus’s teaching leading up to this model prayer reminds us we do not need to put on a performance when coming before God in prayer. The “hypocrites” Jesus refers to were those who used spiritual practices, like prayer, to showboat their own piety or spiritual impressiveness. But God is not amused with such antics. His heart is that we would come before him simply and boldly, as a child comes before his or her heavenly father. In prayer, we get to talk with our heavenly Father who sees and knows all we need.

PRAYER DAY #1: As part of this series, we are challenging our church family to fifty days of prayer. Over each of the next fifty days, we will provide you with a daily prayer prompt to guide your communication with God. Today, begin by praying the entire Lord’s Prayer. We will pray it each day this week. As you wrap up, ask God to empower you with the courage and discipline to pray consistently for the next fifty days. Ask God to give you a deeper passion and devotion to prayer in the days that follow.